Please, Don't Kiss Me on My Lips
by Ely-Baby
Summary: [Femmeslash.] It was just a kiss, then why did it have to turn their worlds upside down? R
1. Comforting

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine. Is J.K. Rowling, what a lucky woman...

A/N: Okay, I know what you are thinking if you have checked out my bio: what a filthy liar this girl is. I know that I said that I don't like slash stories, but I found myself liking this pairing (I mean Ginny and Hermione), and so I decided to try to write something different from my usual stories. I can understand if you don't like this story, I'm not so thrilled about it either. Anyway enjoy the chapter.

To lockofcurls: Thanks a lot for beta-reading this chapter, you have really been quick, not used at all at such a fast answer.

**Comforting**

Hermione smiled when Harry's hair tickled her forehead, she looked at him, his head so near to hers that she could have counted the freckles on his nose.

"Hermione, have you found the charm you were looking for?" he asked snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Not yet," she answered closing the book that lied on the table and putting it between others that she had already gone through. "I don't think that we will find anything in the Hogwarts library about Horcruxes and such," she said matter-of-factly.

"There must be something," said Harry leafing through the pages of an old book.

"The information here is what I found last year, and it's not useful at all," said Hermione sighing.

"I need to find something that can destroy them. Look more carefully, there must be something."

"Hey, mate, look here." Ron appeared from behind a bookshelf with a heavy volume in his hands. He placed the book on the table between Harry and Hermione. "It says something here."

Hermione and Harry bended over the book and started to read. Hermione raised her head first and glanced at Ron. "How much have you read?" she asked him with her eyebrows raised.

Ron shrugged his shoulders. "Just the first line. It was pretty explicatory , wasn't it?"

Harry sat on the chair and rolled his eyes. "If you would have gone on reading you would notice that it had nothing to do with," Harry looked around himself and lowered his voice, "What we are looking for."

Ron sat down next to Harry. "Well, I'm not as good as Hermione with books," he said causing Hermione to blush slightly. "And I'm starting to think that all this research is gonna be a complete waste of time."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked him.

"Come on, Harry. There's nothing here about Horcruxes and things like that. We should search somewhere else."

"And where for example? At the Ministry of Magic? At your house? At Grimmauld Place?" he asked sarcastically.

Ron snorted. "Since we are helping you, you could be a little bit less rude. I just told you the truth."

Harry muttered something like "Sorry" and came back to the book that he was reading without noticing that Hermione was staring at him.

"Hermione?" Ron waved a hand in front of her. She blinked looking at him. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Yes, I'm fine," she said opening another book. "And you know, Ron, I was thinking about what you and Harry were saying."

"Really?" he asked her puzzled.

She nodded again. "And I think that Harry had a wonderful idea."

Harry raised his head and looked at her, unsure about the idea he has just had.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ron asked her.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Grimmauld Place."

"What about Grimmauld Place?" asked Harry.

Hermione sighed. "Harry, it's clear that we won't find anything here, but maybe Grimmauld Place is the perfect place to look in."

"Hermione, we have been there for an entire summer. Don't you think that we would have noticed something?" asked Harry seriously.

"Something like what? Harry, we didn't know what to look for," said Hermione lowering her voice when a group of first years passed near them.

Harry seemed to think intently at her words. "Why Grimmauld Place?"

Hermione looked at him like he was asking the most stupid thing on Earth. "Harry, because of Regulus," she said, "He was the only one that we know, except for Dumbledore, that has found and destroyed, intentionally, one of Voldemort's Horcruxes."

Ron looked at her and smiled. "Hermione, you are a genius!" Hermione blushed again. She waved a hand in front of his face, both for taking away his attention from the red shade she was turning on and as a gesture of humility. "Don't be silly, Ron. You and Harry gave the idea, I just put the things together."

"Yeah, well, there's just one little problem. We can come to the library whenever we want, but we don't have access to Grimmauld Place," Harry pointed out.

"Of course we have, Harry, Grimmauld Place is yours," said Ron matter-of-factly.

"I know that," he said calmly, "I meant that we are not allowed to go outside of Hogwarts. Professor McGonagall will never let us go with Voldemort on the loose, there's no hope for us to have a chance on going there."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" asked Hermione sweetly. "First of all, we are seventeen now and nobody can prevent us from going wherever we want. And second, Christmas holidays are only a couple of weeks ahead."

"Are you thinking of go there during Christmas holidays?" Harry asked Hermione.

"Yes," she answered.

"But as you said, there are still two weeks to go before the holidays start," said Harry, "We don't have all that time."

"It's always better than staying here. Even if we'll spend our entire life between these books we won't find anything, Harry," Hermione stated.

"She has a point, mate," said Ron seriously.

Harry looked at his two best friends, trying to cope with what they had just said. He didn't enjoy the idea of doing nothing for two weeks, but Hermione was right. "You are saying that we should wait for two weeks?" he asked her.

Hermione nodded.

"But, Hermione, in two weeks we don't even know what Voldemort is able to do," he said seriously.

"Harry, if you have a better idea, that's the best I think we have," she answered.

Harry sighed. "No, you're right. I think that there's nothing useful here either," he said closing the book. "How do we get there?"

"You and Hermione can come to my house for the holidays and then we can go from there," said Ron.

"Aren't you forgetting something? Your mum will never let us go," said Harry.

"She can't forbid us," answered Ron.

Harry nodded. "Okay. We're coming to the Burrow and then off to Grimmauld Place," he said to Ron.

"Grimmauld Place?" asked a voice at their back. They froze, somebody heard them talking about Horcruxes and Grimmauld Place. Hermione turned her head first, when Ron and Harry heard her sighing in relief they turned their head too.

"Why were you talking about Grimmauld Place?"

"None of your business, Ginny," snapped Ron.

Ginny glared at him. "Are you planning to go there?" she asked.

"Maybe," answered vaguely Harry.

"Why?"

"If we came in the library there was a good reason, don't you think?" asked Ron rudely.

"And the reason is?" she asked as rudely as him.

"We didn't want anybody to annoy us."

Ginny cast a murderous look to her brother, but didn't answer. "What are you going to do in Grimmauld Place?" she insisted looking at Harry.

"Ginny, seriously, it's better if you don't know," he answered.

Ginny bit her bottom lip. "Oh, I understand. It's something to do with You-Know-Who, right?" she asked lowering her voice.

Harry and Ron exchanged a look and lowered their eyes.

"Yes," answered Hermione.

"Hermione!" Ron said accusatory.

"What? She has the right to know," said Hermione defensibly.

"No, she has not," snapped Ron.

"How dare you to say that?" asked Ginny, her eyes flashing dangerously.

"You are too young," said Ron.

"I'm what?" she asked without believing her ears. "Should I remind you that I helped you last year and the year before in fighting against You-Know-Who?"

"This time it's different," said Harry calmly. "We have to go to Grimmauld Place, and find something that will help us find the Horcruxes and destroy them."

"I want to come with you," she said firmly.

"No way," said Harry.

"Why?"

"You're Ron's little sister," Hary replied.

Hermione gave Harry an exasperated look and rolled her eyes. Harry wasn't very good in finding good cases when arguing.

Harry shook his head and sighed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she snapped.

"What?" asked Harry defensively.

"It's supposed to mean that we don't want a little girl like you with us," snapped Ron.

"Is it because I'm a girl?"

"Yes," said Ron while Harry answered, "No." They looked to each other without quite know what to say.

"If it's because she is a girl, Ron. Well, I'm a girl, too," said Hermione sharply.

Ron looked at her like he was begging her not to make everything more complicated than it already was. "It's different. You are smart and-"

"I'm not smart?" Ginny almost screamed causing two Ravenclaws to turn their heads towards her.

"Of course you are," said Harry quickly. "Ron just meant that Hermione is smarter. She is smarter than me and Ron as well."

Ginny glanced at Harry. "If you aren't smart as her as well, you should be as smart as me."

"Ye- No!" said Harry suddenly realizing what she was saying. "Listen, Ginny. You are not stupid, okay? It's just that we don't want you in the middle of the war."

"Do you think that I'm not able to look after myself?"

"Yes, you are not able to look after yourself, is that what you wanted to hear?" snapped Ron sitting up and facing his sister.

Ginny looked at him like he had just slapped her.

Hermione stood up too and stepped towards them.

"You are not helping, Ron," said Harry shaking his head.

"Ron, Harry," said Hermione calmly, "I think that Ginny has proved to be smart and brave enough in these last two years. And she isn't too young. We were even younger than her when we fought Quirrel in our first year. I think that she should have a chance."

"No way," said Ron sitting back.

Hermione glanced at Harry. "No, Hermione, it's too dangerous for her. She is just – she doesn't know all the things that we know."

"Harry, if you-"

Ginny placed a hand on Hermione's arm for capturing her attention. "Never mind, Hermione," she said fighting back the tears, "They simply don't want me around. It's quite easy to understand." And without a further word she stormed out of the library sobbing uncontrollably.

"Ginny!" said Harry jumping on his feet and tried followed her.

"Harry!" Hermione held him back by his arm. "I think you did enough, didn't you?" she said sharply. "I'll go and look for her."

Hermione felt Harry and Ron's gaze on her back till she exited the door of the library. She looked around herself in the empty corridor, trying to remember where was the nearest girls' bathroom on that floor, finally she started to walk slowly to her right.

She passed by a group of Slytherins that looked at her darkly and finally entered in the bathroom, from where Lavender exited in the same moment. She shot at Hermione a hastily look and turned away her head as quickly as she could. Hermione didn't mind, if she was still angry with her about Ron, it was her problem. She walked near the toilets and started to listen.

"Ginny?" she called uncertainly where she heard someone sobbing.

The sobs stopped for a while. "Go away, Hermione," muttered Ginny with her voice broken.

Hermione leaned against the toilet's door. "No, I just want to talk with you."

"There's nothing to say," said Ginny sniffing.

"I thought that maybe you would have felt better if we talked about how stupid boys are," said Hermione sitting down on the floor, with her back to the toilet's door.

"I already know that," said Ginny in an odd tone of voice, like she was trying not to laugh and cry at the same time.

Hermione smiled. "You know that you are as brave and intelligent as Ron, Harry or me, right?"

Ginny made a verse that should have sounded like a 'yes'.

"You don't have to listen to them, they were just trying to be protective of you."

"I don't wantthem to be protective of me," protested Ginny. "I can watch after myself."

"I know that, and Ron and Harry know it as well. I think that they just wanted to say that they would never forgive themselves if something bad happen to you," explained Hermione calmly. She heard the lock of the door going off and the door opened. Ginny exited blowing her nose in a piece of toilet paper; she closed the door behind herself and sat down next to Hermione.

"Do you really think so?" she asked to Hermione.

"Yes, Ginny. Ron is your brother and you know that he loves you even if he can say some really nasty things sometimes," said Hermione sighing.

"Some really nasty things, Hermione," said Ginny stressing the word 'really'. "I don't know how you can fancy him so much."

Hermione blushed deeply and cleared her throat before keeping on talking, but her voice sounded odd anyway. "But he loves you, Ginny, he would die for you."

Ginny lowered her eyes and stared at her hands.

"And Harry, you know that he cares for you more than anybody else," said Hermione smiling.

Ginny smiled back, but when she spoke her voice was still broken. "I just wanted to be helpful. I just wanted to be like you, Hermione," she said while a tear fell down her cheek.

Hermione took a while for understanding her words. "What?" she barely whispered.

Ginny nodded. "You spend all your time with Harry and Ron, they listen to you, they always ask for your opinion," she said hastily, "They consider you smart and brave, all things that they'll never think about me."

Hermione placed a hand on Ginny shoulder and tightened her to her touch. "Don't be silly, Ginny. They already think that you are smart and brave, and they never ask for my opinion, I have to tell them things ten times before they listen to me."

Ginny smiled while Hermione wiped away her tears with her fingers, then she became suddenly serious and stopped Hermione's hand. "And what about you?"

"What?" asked Hermione looking into her eyes.

"What do you think about me?" she asked.

Hermione smiled. "I think that you are one of the bravest and brightest witches that I've ever known. And Harry and Ron think the same thing; they just don't know how to tell you."

Ginny nodded. "You are very nice, you know that, don't you?" she said unexpectedly.

Hermione flushed slightly. "Thank you."

Ginny nodded imperceptibly.

"But," started Hermione, squeezing Ginny's shoulder with her hand, "You know that you are sweet, too? You are the only friend who is not a boy that I have. It's like having the sister that I've never had and-"

Ginny stopped listening to Hermione as she listed all of Ginny's good points when an unusually familiar feeling crept into her stomach. A feeling she remembered having before with only Harry. She couldn't understand why, but she knew that kissing Hermione felt like the right thing to do. Her head came quickly towards Hermione, pressing her lips against hers.

Hermione stopped talking, and for a second she stopped breathing, too. Ginny closed her eyes, trying to free her head from every thought. When she felt Hermione's hand let her shoulder go and fell heavily on the floor of the bathroom, she opened her eyes again and moved away her head from hers.

Hermione had her eyes wide opened and looked at her with a mixture of confusion and fear on her face. Ginny brought her hands to her mouth and realized what she had just done, a lamp of fear passed through her eyes, too. "Hermione, I-I'm so-" she stammered stretching out a hand for touching Hermione.

Hermione drew back, and banged against the wall with her back. She glanced at Ginny before placing her hands on the floor and helping herself getting on her feet. She walked quickly out of the bathroom. Ginny heard her steps echoing in the empty corridor while she sat there with her hands still pressed on her lips and her heart that beat frantically in her chest.

Hermione almost ran into the library. She attracted everybody's attention when she headed for the table where Ron and Harry sat.

"Have you found her?" asked Harry raising his eyes. But he didn't wait for her answer when he noticed the upset look on her face. "What happened?"

Hermione didn't answer. She put her stuff in her bag and stormed out of the library as quickly as she could, gaining a scolding look from Madam Pince.


	2. Hidden Feelings

Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine, got it?

A/N: Oh, well, thanks a lot to all the people that reviewed. I really didn't expect so much response for this story. It was a pleasant surprise. I really hope that you'll enjoy this chapter as well. Thanks again!

To lockofcurls: Thanks for beta-reading this chapter and big amount of one-shots. Lol.

**Hidden Feelings**

As Christmas approached, every single hall of Hogwarts was decorated with mistletoe and enchanted candles. Professor McGonagall had asked the ghosts to sing Christmas Carols at every moment of the day, and Hagrid had adorned the most majestic tree that the Hogwarts pupils have ever seen. Every professor was convinced that the more beautiful the castle looked, the less the students thought about the threat of Voldemort, at least during Christmas time, and it worked with most of the them. But there was still someone that started to feel obsessed with the thought of the Dark Lord.

"Harry," whispered Ron, elbowing him in his ribs. Harry opened his eyes and saw Professor Slughorn reaching his desk slowly. He looked at his potion, which the book said should have turned into a bright pink colour, and that now was as red as Ron's hair. He dived behind his potions' book, he was sure that he has poured all the ingredients, but he wasn't positive about the order. He glanced at Ron and saw that his potion was almost blue. At least red was closer to pink than blue.

"You were daydreaming," said Ron, coughing between the fog that was coming out of his cauldron.

"I wasn't daydreaming. I was thinking," said Harry.

"About You-Know-Who?" asked Ron slowly.

Harry nodded reluctantly.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Can't you simply take him out of your brain until Christmas holiday?"

"No," said Harry bitterly.

Professor Slughorn cleared his throat for capturing everybody's attention. "If you want to see something that looks exactly like the potion I asked you to make, you should look into Miss Granger's cauldron," he said, bending down on Hermione's desk. "Perfect colour, perfect smell, perfect consistency," he said, pouring a ladle into her potion and making some potion fall back into the cauldron.

Harry looked at Ron, who was staring at her and smiling. He turned his attention towards Hermione and saw that she didn't look satisfied with herself; she wasn't even trying to suppress a smile. But she didn't look miserably either. It was like she was thinking about something so intensely that she simply didn't mind what was happening around herself. It wasn't the first time that Harry noticed that behaviour in her. She had been acting strangely this whole week, since she had talked with Ginny. She spent all her free time with Ron and Harry, but she never talked unless they asked her something, and even in that case her answers never went over a sentence. But the strangest thing was that she left a room when she saw Ginny entering. Not that Ginny was trying to talk to her, or was looking for her, but it looked like they simply couldn't stand to be in the presence of one another. Ron and Harry didn't see them fight, and both Hermione and Ginny didn't say anything good or bad about each other, they simply ignored the subject when it was brought up. Even Ron was starting to notice that there was something of strange in their behaviour, and that said something.

"Harry, Harry, Harry," said Slughorn bending on his cauldron and snapping Harry out of his thoughts. "This potion is not all that bad, but you are still far from your last year's standard. What happened?"

Harry looked at him and smiled weakly. After what happened with Snape at the end of the last school year, Harry had voluntary thrown away the potions' book of the Half-Blood Prince. The only problem was that now he was back to his usual level, and that meant far behind Hermione's. "I don't know. I put all the ingredients in the cauldron."

"Did you respect the order?" asked Slughorn.

"I guess so," said Harry uncertainly.

Slughorn shook his head and turned towards the rest of the class. "Harry's potion became red instead of pink. Who can tell us where he failed?"

Harry looked instinctually towards Hermione, but her hand didn't fly in the air as usually. It was almost a week that her hand didn't fly anymore though.

"Nobody?" asked Slughorn glancing at the class. "Not even you, Miss. Granger?"

Hermione raised her eyes. "Maybe he put the eye of newt before the wool of bat. That could have made the potion turning red instead of pink."

Slughorn clapped his hands. "Very good Miss. Granger. Ten points to Gryffindor."

Hermione remained silent and didn't seem to care too much for her hundredth successful answer.

Slughorn came back to his desk, deliberately ignoring Ron's potion which was starting to gurgle dangerously. "Class dismissed," he said checking his watch. "Next time I would like to see something of less deluding from you all," he added while the students were washing their cauldrons.

Harry was making his potion disappear with his wand and taking away all the ingredients he had used when Hermione appeared at his side, ready to leave the class for lunch.

"Hey," Harry greeted her.

"Hey," she answered.

"Why didn't you raise your hand if you knew the answer?" he asked her closing his potions' book and putting it away.

Hermione shrugged her shoulders and didn't say anything more.

"Hey, Hermione." Ron reached them with his bag on his shoulders. "You did a great job winning ten points to Gryffindor. That was cool," he said, smiling.

Hermione smiled back weakly. "Thanks," she said flushing red, but this time was a little bit less red than the others.

"You're welcome," said Ron grinning.

It was a common knowledge that Ron fancied Hermione, and that Hermione fancied Ron back. Everybody knew that. Well, everybody but Ron. Lately, Harry couldn't help noticing, there was something different in their relationship. It looked almost like every time Ron talked to her was going to be the moment he was going to tell her how he felt, but lost the courage every time. Harry hoped that something would happen soon between the two. Hermione had become colder towards them, towards everybody, but it was almost like she didn't hold less, if any, interest in Ron anymore. Harry started to think that it was taking too long to his friend to tell Hermione how he felt about her, and that she was getting tired of waiting.

"We should move if we don't wanna be late for lunch," said Harry interrupting his friends.

"Yeah, I'm starving," said Ron making his way towards the door.

They reached the Great Hall talking about the fact that most of the ghosts where terribly out of tune when they sang Jingle Bells, with Hermione following silently. The four tables were covered with every kind of food that they could imagine, looking almost ready for Christmas. Harry and Ron sat down side by side and Hermione sat across from them.

"You know," said Ron, helping himself with some roast. "I like the fact that they are trying to distract us from the thought of You-Know-Who in this way."

"Ron, giving us delicious food and making Hogwarts look like Christmas Town is not exactly distracting," said Harry. "I mean, who could forget that Voldemort is always out there?"

Ron rolled his eyes. "Come on, Harry. They are just trying to make our last days here happier," he said swallowing some meat.

Harry couldn't help laughing. Hermione smiled, too.

Hermione jumped to her feet when she saw Ginny coming in through the doors to the Great Hall.

"Hermione, where are you going?" asked Ron looking at her while she walked quickly towards the door. Ginny looked at her while she passed next to her, she stretched a hand in her direction and then brought the fingers to her mouth, trying to cover the fact that she was biting her bottom lip. Then, she lowered her eyes and walked towards the Gryffindor table. She sat down in front of Ron, in the seat that Hermione has just left.

"Hi," she said to both Ron and Harry without looking at them, but helping herself with some of the food.

"Hi," answered Harry and Ron together.

She started to chew her meat without any intention of wanting to start a proper conversation with them. She too, Harry couldn't help noticing, was behaving in a strange way. She moved away a lock of hair from her eyes, sighing heavily. Harry felt something at the bottom of his stomach and for a moment had to remind himself why he left her this past June.

"Harry?" asked Ron waving a hand in front of his face. "Are you still thinking about You-Know-Who?"

Harry blinked. "What?" he asked without having a clue on what he was talking.

"You were staring," explained Ron.

He was staring at Ginny. "Yeah, I was thinking about Voldemort," he said quickly.

"Nice thought," said Ginny looking at him.

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "And what were you thinking about?" he asked her.

Ginny blushed without any apparent reason. "Nothing," she almost whispered.

"It wasn't something about Hermione?" asked Harry.

Ginny paler. "Why?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders again. "I don't know, but you two have been acting strangely since Hermione talked to you after our fight in the Library," said Harry matter-of-factly.

"We are not," answered Ginny hastily.

Ron raised his eyebrows. "Did you have a fight?" he asked her.

"No," she answered.

"Something must have happened," Harry pointed out. "You have always been good friends and now you're avoiding each other."

"Even if something would have happened," snapped Ginny regaining some colour on her face, "It's none of your business."

"Okay, I was just asking," said Harry defensively. "Don't get me wrong, I didn't mean to interfere, I just care for you both."

Ginny looked at him without answering, but took away her eyes almost immediately. "Hermione didn't tell you anything?" she asked after a while.

"No," answered Ron. "What she should have told us?"

"Nothing," said Ginny forcefully. "I was just asking." She looked at her watch. "I'd better go," she muttered before standing up and leaving Ron and Harry at the Gryffindor table with the strange feeling that they will never understand girls.


	3. Confused Hearts

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, if I did I don't think that I would have posted my stories here. I think that they were on sale… Don't you think?

A/N: Sorry for the late update, but here I am with another chapter. Well, I'm sad because I don't have anything to say about this chapter. Oh, yes just one thing don't think that there'll be a love triangle after you'll read it, okay? At last, not before the next chapter – no, wait, there'll be no love triangle at all. Anyway, I know it's quite short and eventful less, but I hope that you'll enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

To lockofcurls: Thanks a lot for beta-reading this chapter.

**Confused Hearts**

"What? Hermione you cannot say something like that," Ron almost screamed at Hermione in the Gryffindor common room. "You said you would come."

Hermione felt everybody gaze on her. "Ron, lower your voice," she hissed.

Ron glared around at the Gryffindors that had raised their heads for watching what was happening, causing them to come back to their homework as quickly as they could. He sat down on the armchair between Harry and Hermione and leaned ahead towards Hermione. "You have to come to my house for these holidays, you know that we need you for – that thing," he said, lowering his voice.

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Is that all you need me for?"

Harry would have expected her voice to be aggressive, or at least alter; but she was calm, like she didn't really mind the answer.

Ron blushed deeply, so deeply that Harry could almost feel the heat coming from his ears. "No," he said in a bare whisper.

Harry was sure that if it wasn't Ron the one who was speaking, something would have been certainly happened. Maybe it could have been the beginning of a relationship, if only he would have gone on telling her his feelings. But since he knew Ron too well, he was aware that nothing would have started, at least not today.

Hermione looked intently at Ron, who had his eyes fixed on his hands. "I can't come, that's all."

"Okay, listen," said Harry looking to Hermione. "It's clear like the sun that you and Ginny had a row. But I don't think that you have to spend all the time with her, do you?"

"First of all," said Hermione seizing the armrests of the armchair, "We didn't have any row and second it's not because of her that I'm not coming."

"Why then?" asked Ron frustrated.

"I wanted to spend the Christmas with my parents," she lied.

"Why?"

"Because they are my parents?" asked Hermione sarcastically.

Ron rolled his eyes. "You have never had problems with having Christmas at my house or at Hogwarts."

"Listen, Ron, I cannot come, okay?" she said firmly.

"No, it's not okay," snapped Ron sitting up and heading for the boys dorm.

Hermione followed him with her gaze. He had never had such a bad reaction towards her.

"What's wrong with him?" she asked Harry.

Harry shook his head. "He just wants you to come."

"And I just don't wanna come," said Hermione.

"We really need you, though."

"I don't think so," said Hermione sitting up and putting away her books. "I'm going to bed."

"You still have three days for changing your mind," Harry said after her.

Hermione waved a hand over her shoulder, but didn't turn back. She climbed the stairs of her dorm, her head stuck in her thoughts till she bumped into the very last person that she would have ever wanted to meet.

"Hi," said Ginny shyly.

Hermione looked at her and lowered her eyes. "Hi," she answered back before leaning against the wall for passing by Ginny in the small corridor. Ginny followed her with her eyes and bit her bottom lips, then she picked up all her courage and spoke. "Hermione."

Hermione stopped. "Yes?" she asked without turning.

"Can I talk to you?" she asked slowly.

Hermione felt her heart beating frantically in her chest, and for a moment she had the tempting desire of saying 'no' occupied her brain. "Okay," she answered in a high tone of voice that she barely recognized, and turned to face her.

"Can we go into your bedroom?" asked Ginny.

"Why?" asked Hermione a little bit more apprehensive than she intended, thing that made her flush.

Ginny blushed too. "I just don't want to be overheard," she said trying to sound casually as a couple of first years passed by them.

Hermione nodded, she started to climb the stairs again with Ginny's steps behind her. The seventh year's bedroom was on the top, when they entered the only girl that was there was Lavender. She shot at Hermione and Ginny an alter look and came back to the book that she was reading. Ginny and Hermione looked at each other.

"We better go to your room," said Hermione placing her bag on her bed.

Lavender snapped closed her book. "If you have to talk about private things you can stay, I don't really mind," she said coolly.

"No, thanks," said Hermione. She knew perfectly well that since Ron had broken up their relationship last year, Lavender hated her because she thought that she was the cause of all the things that happened, and Ginny, because of her relation to Ron. And would have enjoyed listening to their conversation and letting all the Hogwarts students know the details of what happened between them. Hermione followed Ginny out of her dorm and they climbed down the stairs. When they reached the sixth year dorm they found it empty. They entered, Ginny closed the door behind them and Hermione sealed it with a spell. Ginny moved towards her bed and sat down on it. "You can sit, if you want," she told her.

Hermione nodded and sat down on Ginny's bed too, only a little bit further on from her. They sat there for a good fifteen minutes without speaking. The only noise they heard was the pulsating of the blood in their temples that was becoming faster every second.

Finally, Ginny cleared her throat.

"What did you want to talk about?" asked Hermione anticipating her.

"Ron asked me to talk to you," she said, causing Hermione to look at her in amazement. She would have expected something different.

"Ron?" she questioned, unsure.

Ginny nodded. "He said that you said that you didn't want to come to our house for the Christmas holidays."

Hermione nodded.

"He said that it was my fault," whispered Ginny.

Hermione didn't say anything, but lowered her eyes.

"Is that true?" she asked, looking intently at her for capturing any feeling.

Hermione remained silent.

Ginny sighed deeply. "Ron asked me to make you change your mind."

"I don't think that there will be anything you can do for making me change my mind," whispered Hermione.

"Is because of me that you don't want come?" Ginny asked again and again she didn't obtain any answer. "It's because of that – kiss?" asked Ginny whispering the last word.

Hermione looked everywhere but at her. "Why did you do that?" she asked with her voice so low that Ginny had to hold her breath for listening to her.

"Why did I kiss you?" she asked slowly.

Hermione nodded, her cheeks reddening gradually.

Ginny tried to find the right words for explaining something that she was sure she didn't understand too well herself. "I don't know," she said eventually. "At that moment, I thought it was the right thing to do."

Hermione nodded imperceptibly. "Was it something planned?" she asked raising her eyebrows.

Ginny shook her head. "No, I never planned to kiss you or," she looked nervously at her hands, "Any other girl."

"I see," said Hermione quietly. "And did you enjoy it?" she asked unexpectedly.

Ginny looked at her unsure on the meaning of her question. "Why?" she asked uncertainly.

Hermione didn't move, nor did she dare a look at Ginny.

Ginny would have liked to tell her that no, she didn't enjoy it at all. That it was just a joke she did to her, that she was her best friend and that was all. But she couldn't lie, not to herself though. "I don't know," she whispered. "What about you?"

Hermione looked at her apprehensively. "I don't know either."

Ginny felt the blood beating in her temples almost painfully, while she tried to cope with what Hermione had just said. She was sure that Hermione was just trying not to yell at her for what she had done and now, she has told her that she didn't know how she felt towards that kiss that they shared.

"I thought you were angry with me," she said letting all her amazement transpire.

Hermione's hands twisted in her lap. "I thought that too, at the beginning. But now…" she let the sentence dying in her throat while she searched for the right words.

Ginny looked at her unsure on what she would have said and on what she wanted to hear from her.

Hermione took a deep breath. "The fact is that it's more than a week that I can't take you out of my mind," she said quickly.

"Is that positive or negative?"

"I don't know," confessed Hermione.

"Hermione." Ginny moved a little bit in her direction, Hermione didn't move backwards. "I've thought about you too." Then she suddenly understood something. "And that's why you don't want to come to my house for the holidays. You are afraid that if we spend all that time together we'll-" But she didn't finish the sentence because she didn't know what they would have become.

Hermione sat up and started to walk up and down in front of her. "I was scared, but not about what you did, I was scared about me and my reaction. I'm starting to feel something towards you, something different, a feeling that I've always thought it was only for your brother." She stopped and looked at her. "Ginny, I'm sure that I don't like girls, but why do I feel this way then?"

Ginny looked back at her, no answers came to her mind, just a bunch of questions that she would have loved to ask her. "Hermione, I feel that I'm starting to fancy you, too. But my feelings are so confused right now, I still feel butterflies in my stomach when Harry looks at me."

Hermione sighed. "And I still feel like I could wait for Ron forever."

"But there's something wrong in that," said Ginny. "I can't fancy two people at the same time, and especially two people of different gender."

"I know," said Hermione sitting down next to Ginny again. "But what are we supposed to do?"

Ginny shook her head miserably. "I don't know – no! Wait," she said while a shy smile spread through her face. "I've got an idea."

Hermione looked at her concerned and curious at the same time.

"Hermione, you have to come to my house for Christmas holiday," she said matter-of-factly.

"Have I?" she asked slowly.

"Yes, because you'll spend all your time with me and Ron, and I'll be all the time with you and Harry," she said cheerfully.

"And?" asked Hermione confused.

"And at the end of the holiday we'll probably get our ideas straight," she explained.

Hermione looked at her with pure fear in her eyes. "And what if we find out that we – like each other?" she said whispering the last words.

"We'll think about that when it will be the moment," Ginny answered seriously.

Hermione nodded, then stood up and moved towards the door. She picked up her wand and waved it muttering the anti-spell. The door opened slowly with a creak.

"I'm gonna tell Harry and Ron that I'm coming," she said pulling away her wand.

Ginny nodded. "Okay."

"Good night, Ginny," said Hermione smiling shyly.

"Good night, Hermione," she answered her back while she exited the door. "I'm really happy that you are coming," she added while Hermione was already climbing down the stairs.


	4. Ron's Christmas Gift

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K.R.

A/N: Oh my! I used to like this chapter when I wrote it, but now I'm not so fond anymore on it. Anyway, thank you so much to all the people that reviewed, you really make my day.

To lockofcurls: Thank you so much for beta-reading my chapter.

**Ron's Christmas Gift**

Nothing could have beaten the cheerfulness of the Burrow during Christmas time, not even Hogwarts. Fred and George had decked the entire house with mistletoe and midgets dressed up like angels, which were trying to free themselves from the walls where they were hanged up. Harry, Ron, Ginny and Hermione had arrived from Hogwarts on Christmas' Eve with a car at their disposal by the Ministry of Magic, who, in those days, were extremely considerate towards the wizarding community, especially towards Harry. After an eventless journey, they reached the Burrow. Mrs. Weasley has greeted them more warmly than usual, just happy to see the four of them alive.

"Charlie is coming home for Christmas this year, too," exclaimed Mrs. Weasley when Ginny asked her. "So you have to share your bedroom with Hermione. You don't mind, dear, do you?" she asked Hermione.

"No," said Hermione trying to sound casually, but shooting an uncomfortable look at Ginny.

"Very well, dear," said Mrs. Weasley smiling. "It's such a pleasure for us to have you here for Christmas."

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley."

"Yeah, mum we are all happy that she is here, now will you let her go?" yelled Ron from upstairs.

Mrs. Weasley laughed cheerfully and nodded. "Go on, dear," she said to Hermione.

Hermione left the living room and climbed the stairs up.

"Hermione, we need to discuss some things," said Ron from the stairs. "Come to my room as soon as possible."

"Ron, we just got here," Hermione snapped back, irritably. "I still have to unpack my trunk. Will you have the patience of waiting a few minutes?"

"Hermione, these things are really important," said Ron.

"And my stuff is important too," retorted Hermione, closing the door of Ginny's bedroom behind herself.

Ginny stood up from her trunk. "What was Ron yelling for?" she asked, smiling.

"He and Harry want to talk to me, but I've not yet unpacked my stuff and I'm pretty tired, so I told him that they'll have to wait," answered Hermione, opening her trunk.

"You can go, I'll unpack for you," said Ginny, stepping towards her.

Hermione looked at her and saw that she was serious, then she shook her head and sat on her bed. "No, don't worry. I'm not so keen on planning our trip to Grimmauld Place."

Ginny smiled. "I would love to come with you there," she sighed.

"You know that if it was up to me you could come, but your brother and Harry are so determinate to have you here, staying out of danger," she said seriously.

"And you don't think that I should stay out of danger?" Ginny asked frankly, sitting down on Hermione's bed too and coming really near to her.

Hermione looked at her for a long moment, evidently searching her mind for the best words. "Of course I would feel better if I knew that you were here, safe and surrounded by the people love you, but I also think that you would be brave and capable of battling courageously, just like us."

Ginny flushed and smiled shyly. "Thank you, Hermione. Sometimes I think that you understand me better than everybody else."

Hermione smiled and lowered her eyes. "I understand you better than Harry and Ron, but that's not a big thing."

Ginny laughed and came closer to Hermione, who noticed that, but couldn't tell if she did it on purpose or not, anyway she didn't move back. When Ginny's laughter faded away she looked at her again. "No, I'm serious, you really are the one that knows the real me." Ginny's head came so dangerously near to Hermione that she could have smelled her breath.

"Really?" asked Hermione slowly. She would have taken away her body from her, but it was like she was hypnotized. She felt her head buzzing.

Ginny nodded, half-closing her eyes and wetting her lips she moved her head towards Hermione's. Hermione bit her bottom lip. What was wrong with her? Why was her heartbeat growing faster in her chest? Why was the bedroom was slowly going out of focus? Why did she feel butterflies in her stomach?

When she felt the pressure of Ginny's hands on the bed next to her she realized what was going to happened. She moved backwards and almost fell down from the bed, but she managed to jump on her feet. "I-I think that I should go upstairs and see if Ron and Harry still need me," she stammered.

Ginny's face became redder than her hair. She too stood up and lowered her eyes. "Yeah, I think you should," she whispered. "Hermione, if you want I can really unpack for you," she added quickly.

"No, never mind that," she said before disappearing outside the door. She climbed the stairs as quickly as she could, and rushed into Ron's bedroom.

Harry and Ron looked up at her from their own trunks. "Hermione, is everything okay?" asked Ron, looking at her pale face.

Hermione nodded unable to say anything.

"It looks almost like you have gone through a shock," said Harry, raising his eyebrows.

Hermione breathed deeply, she took a step towards them and sat down on Ron's bed. "I'm okay," she managed to say.

"If you say so," said Ron, shrugging his shoulders.

Hermione nodded. "What did you want me here for?" she asked, looking at them.

"We have to talk about Grimmauld Place," said Ron.

"What about Grimmauld Place?" she asked calmly.

"How to get there, what to do, what to search, and so on," said Harry.

Hermione nodded. "Okay, well, when do you want to leave?"

Ron and Harry looked each others. "What about the day after tomorrow?" asked Harry.

"The day after Christmas?" asked Hermione who didn't expect it to be so early. "I thought we were going there after New Year's Day," she said hopefully.

"Hermione, we need time for doing all the things that we have to do," said Ron matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, which brings the question, what do we have to do?" said Harry.

"We have to look for something that can help us with the quest for the Horcruxes," said Hermione. "Dumbledore had found out a lot about the Horcruxes, but still there are a couple of them that even he couldn't figure out what they are."

Both Harry and Ron nodded.

"So, my idea is this: Regulus Black knew as much as Dumbledore about Horcruxes. Regulus, himself, managed to destroy Salazar Slytherin's locket, so there must be something at Grimmauld Place that will tell us something more about them," she said, looking at them.

"What do you think you'll find? Regulus' diary with all the directions for finding the other Horcruxes?" asked Ron sarcastically.

Hermione glared at him. "I thought you wanted to go to Grimmauld Place," she said sourly.

Ron reddened, but didn't reply.

"Anyway, I think that, if we are really lucky, we can find something like that."

"A diary?" asked Harry raising his eyebrows.

"Not exactly a diary, but maybe some notes or some books that will help us. We have to search for the clues, anything that will come in handy."

"We have been there for an entire summer, Hermione, I've already told you that we didn't find anything like that," Harry sighed.

"And I've already told you that we didn't know what to look for two years ago," said Hermione annoyed. "Listen, I'm not sure about what we should find, I don't even know if we'll find anything. We just have to try, okay?"

Harry and Ron nodded. "See? We need you, Hermione. You couldn't have gone home," said Ron seriously.

Hermione turned so red that she almost disappeared between the posters of the Chudley Cannons that were hanged on the walls of Ron's bedroom. "Thanks," she mumbled, while Harry smiled aware of what was happening. "Anyway," she said quickly, "Ron, have you already asked your mum for her permission to go to Grimmauld Place?"

"No, should I have?" asked Ron nonchalantly.

"Of course you should," said Hermione which was becoming even more red than before, but now for the anger. "Although, how will we get there?"

"Hey, you were the one that said that we don't need her permission," protested Ron.

"I know. We don't really need her permission, but we need to find a way of getting there without being spotted by other people, and maybe she can help us with getting-"

"We can fly there with our brooms," said Harry interrupting her. "The first time I went to Grimmauld Place, I flew there with Tonks and the others."

"Maybe you missed the part where I said that we cannot be seen," said Hermione.

"If we fly high we won't be seen," pointed out Harry.

"No way," said Hermione, waving a hand in front of him.

Harry snorted. "It's just because you are afraid of flying."

"Also for that."

"I've got an idea," said Ron jumped on his feet. "We can Apparate there."

"Not a great idea, if you ask me," said Harry.

"Why?" asked Ron.

"Because Grimmauld Place is in a Muggle street and we cannot Apparate there without being seen," explained Hermione patiently. "But I have an idea, if I can speak," she added sarcastically. "Floo Powder."

It was so easy that both Ron and Harry didn't think at all about that. "But are you sure that Grimmauld Place is linked to the Floo Network?" asked Harry thoughtfully.

"Sure, Sirius used to talk with you from there," she answered matter-of-factly. "We'll borrow some Powder from your house Ron, so that we'll be able to come back, in case there won't be any in Grimmauld Place."

"Okay, I'll tell mum, then," said Ron walking towards the door. "If you hear a scream don't worry, it's just her fainting," he added sarcastically before exiting.

Harry smiled and bent over his trunk again to finish unpacking his stuff. "Have you already unpacked?" he asked Hermione.

"What? No, no. Ginny offered to do that for me, but I refused. I should go downstairs and unpack before dinner now she said checking her watch.

"So," Harry started while she was exiting the bedroom, "You and Ginny made up."

"Actually, we never fought," said Hermione trying to sound casually.

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "Okay, if you say so."

Hermione nodded and left Ron's bedroom without a further word. She climbed down the stairs to Ginny's bedroom. The door was open, and Ginny was nowhere in sight, Hermione thought that Mrs. Weasley might have asked her for some help in the kitchen. She sighed in relief, then she bended on her trunk and started to unpack, placing all the things in the part of the wardrobe that Ginny left for her. Half an hour later, Harry knocked on the door.

"Hermione, are you ready?"

She opened the door. "Yes, I'm ready."

They climbed down the stairs together, and when they reached the kitchen, they saw that Mrs. Weasley's mood had changed dramatically compared to earlier. "Dinner is ready," she snapped to Harry and Hermione. Ron shook his head and sat down across from them, Ginny sat next to him trying to hide a smile. Mrs. Weasley waved her wand nervously towards the knives in the cupboard and some of them flew right above Hermione's head. "Sorry," muttered Mrs. Weasley.

Charlie, Fred and George came almost running in the kitchen. "Mum, why didn't anybody call us? We're starving," protested Fred sitting down and taking a potato with his hand. Mrs. Weasley waved her wand towards him and Fred's fingers glued together. "Don't you dare use your fingers again, Fred Weasley," cried Mrs. Weasley.

"Even if I would I couldn't," said Fred trying to divide his fingers.

Charlie shot an angry look at Ron and Ginny. "Okay, who did it?"

"Ron," said Ginny promptly. Ron glared at her.

"What did you do for making mum so nervous?" Charlie asked annoyed.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"I just asked her if she could lend us some Floo Powder," he said defensively.

"Tell him the truth, Ronald Weasley, what do you need the powder for?" thundered Mrs. Weasley.

Ron snorted. "Harry, Hermione and I want to go to Grimmauld Place the day after tomorrow."

"Grimmauld Place? Why?" asked Charlie.

Ron shrugged his shoulders. "Just for a trip."

"Don't be clever with your mother, boy," said Mrs. Weasley, "I know that you are gonna do something of dangerous. You always do."

"Mum, I swear that we don't want to do anything dangerous," said Ron annoyed.

"I can go with them and look after them," said Ginny quickly. Everybody ignored her but Hermione.

"I'll talk to your father and we'll see," said Mrs. Weasley.

"You can't forbid us to go," said Ron raising his voice, "We all are adults."

"I said I'll talk to your father," repeated Mrs. Weasley.

"By the way, mum, where is he?" asked George.

"He should be home in about half an hour. There have been problems at the Ministry," said Charlie.

"Even on Christmas Eve?" questioned Fred, who was still trying to ungluing his fingers.

Mrs. Weasley sighed. "Even on Christmas Eve. But that won't prevent us from having a nice dinner for Christmas."

They started to eat the delicious dinner that Mrs. Weasley has prepared, laughing and smiling like nothing happened. Mr. Weasley joined them, and with great disappointment from Mrs. Weasley, he gave his permission to the trio to go to Grimmauld Place, but could only stay during the day and come back at night. Harry, Hermione and Ron agreed, none of them, especially Ron, really keen on sleeping between spiders and all the things that were surely haunting Grimmauld Place at that time.

When everybody finished his dinner, Mrs. Weasley, Ginny and Hermione cleaned up the kitchen and then joined the others that were sitting in the living room listening to some Christmas Carols. They sat there talking, playing wizard chess and laughing for hours. The atmosphere was so cheerful that they almost forgot that they were in the middle of the Second War and that Voldemort was on the loose. Around ten Mrs. Weasley kissed each of her child goodnight, and then kissed Harry and Hermione too. Ginny and Hermione suppressed a giggle while she stamped a long kiss on Ron's cheek who was protesting that he was too old for those kind of things. Slowly the living room emptied, the last to go to bed was Mr. Weasley who was reading the Daily Prophet, since he hasn't had time for it all day. He eventually left the living room too, reaching his wife and with the wonderful thought in his head that all his children in the house were sleeping.

But he was wrong. Well, he was almost wrong, because all his children were sleeping, but someone else was awake.

Hermione couldn't sleep. She didn't know why, though. She should have been tired because of the travel from Hogwarts, and her eyes were burning, but she couldn't close them and sleep. She couldn't see Ginny in the darkness of the room, but she knew where her body was. She was lying on her back, because she felt the sheets going up and down on her chest. They hadn't talked that night, they simply wished each other goodnight and then Ginny fell asleep. But Hermione couldn't sleep in the same room as Ginny. Not that she was afraid of anything in particular, she trusted Ginny as much as Harry and Ron, or even more than them, but she simply couldn't fall asleep in the same room of the girl that had kissed her.

She pulled away the sheets and placed her bare feet on the floor. She put on her dressing gown and opened the door. When it creaked Ginny moaned and turned in her bed. She closed the door behind her as slowly as she could, then started to climb down the stairs. She went straight in the kitchen, picked up a mug from the cupboard and heated up some milk. She poured a couple of spoons of honey in the milk and went in the living room. She sat down on the sofa, looking at the big Christmas Tree that Charlie and the twins had decked out and at all the presents that rested under it. Suddenly, she felt the curiosity to check out which presents were for her. She sat up from the sofa and kneeled down next to the gifts, there was one from Harry, one from Mrs. and Mr. Weasley, one from the twins (and she decided stay away from it), one very small from Ginny, but there was no present from Ron.

"Are you spying on the Christmas gifts?"

Hermione jumped on her feet and spilled the milk on her dressing gown. "Ron," she said angrily. "You scared me," she added, trying to wash away the milk with her hand.

Ron smiled. "Sorry." He stepped towards her. "You spilled your milk," he said, pointing at her dressing gown.

"Oh, really?" she asked sarcastically. "Do you have your wand with you?"

Ron nodded and pulled his wand out of his pocket. "Evanesco," he said and the milk vanished from her dress.

"Thanks," she said, sitting down on the sofa.

"So, Granger," started Ron, sitting down next to her, "You were spying the Christmas presents."

"Don't talk rubbish, Ron," she said half smiling. "I couldn't sleep."

"Was Ginny snoring?"

"No," she said definitely laughing, "I simply couldn't sleep. What about you?" she added, looking at him. She noticed that he was blushing, apparently without any reason.

"I – hem – I was – I couldn't sleep either," he said hesitantly. "Harry was snoring."

Hermione laughed again and Ron joined her with a nervous chortle. "Funny, I thought that you were the one that snored louder," she said when her laughter faded away.

"Hermione, I," he started looking at her rather seriously. "Never mind," he added quickly when her eyes met his.

"No, Ron, what?" she asked, coming nearer to him and placing a hand on his knee.

Ron blushed again, and now even more deeply. "Nothing," he mumbled.

Hermione looked at him intently. He could feel the weight of her glance on his head even if he didn't look at her. After a while, Hermione sighed deeply and took away her hand from Ron's knee.

"No, wait," said Ron, catching her hand. "Hermione, I-"

Hermione looked at him intently, he opened his mouth for speaking, but was cut off by the old grandfather clock that stroke midnight. "I – hem – I wanted to wish you a Happy Christmas," he said quickly.

Hermione looked at him half deluded half frustrated. "Happy Christmas to you, too," she answered trying to keep her voice calm and leaning against the back of the sofa with her arm crossed, in a way that reminded terribly Ron of Padma during the Yule Ball.

"Hermione, I-" he started for the third time, but this time was Hermione the one that cut him off.

"Don't you dare start a sentence if you don't wanna finish it," she snapped, looking at him.

Ron sighed again, Hermione noticed that his face coloured again. "No, okay. I wanted to tell you why I came here at this hour of the night."

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "I thought you couldn't sleep because Harry was snoring."

"No, I couldn't sleep, but not because of Harry. I had to do something," he said vaguely lowering his voice every word more.

"Well?" asked Hermione after a while rather annoyed by all his secrecy.

"Well, I had to do some practice," he whispered.

"Practice?" asked Hermione who was starting to understand every minute less.

Ron nodded, his face redder than his hair.

"Practice for what, Ron?" asked Hermione who's irritation started to leak out of her voice.

Ron opened his mouth for answering, but no sound exited. 'For your Christmas gift,' he thought.

"Okay, I think I'll go to bed," said Hermione pushing with her hands on the sofa for sitting up.

"Wait," Ron almost screamed, and without thinking twice at what he was doing, he threw himself towards her and kissed her gently on her lips. Hermione's heart skipped a beat, but she closed her eyes and started to kiss him back. Ron's arm passed around her waist and he made her come closer to him, while with the other hand he caressed her hair. Hermione placed her hands around his neck and arched her back.

Neither of them could believe what was happening. Their heads were weightless, like their stomachs. But suddenly Hermione felt that there was something wrong in what she was doing. She would have pushed him away and at the same time she would have never let him go. She was kissing him, but slowly the thought of Ginny was invading her mind. When Ron stopped abruptly to kiss her, she almost feared that he read her mind. Then, she heard someone on the stairs behind her and noticed the blank expression on Ron's face, she turned her head as quickly as she could, but all she caught was a glimpse of red hair, which, except of Ron and Harry, could have belonged to everybody in the house.

"Who was-?" she asked Ron quickly.

"It was Ginny," answered Ron while Hermione brought her hand to her mouth. "Luckily she's used to seeing me kiss Lavender, she won't be – where are you going?"

But Hermione wasn't listening to him, she was already climbing up the stairs two at a time with her heart beating furiously in her chest. All the while, Ron was cursing his sister with all his forces.


	5. How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?

Disclaimer: Nope, Harry Potter is not mine. And not even the title of this chapter, it's Dido's.

A/N: Hmm, let me think to some good explanation for the delay. First of all, my beta-reader was busy. And then my connect card stopped working, and I had to live without internet for a week, OMG, I don't really know how I managed to survive. Anyway, we are almost there, next chapter will be the last one. As I've already said, this chapter has the name of song, and I love that song. Oh, I'll stop this stupid blah, blah, blah right now and let you read the chapter, I hope you'll enjoy it.

To lockofcurls: Thanks a lot for beta-reading this chapter, you did a very good job.

**How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?**

Harry couldn't believe what Ron had told him on Christmas day. Ron finally managed to kiss Hermione and now she wasn't even talking to him. Ron had his own theory: it was all Ginny's fault. She interrupted them, and Hermione must have felt ashamed of her seeing them kissing. Harry couldn't help smiling at that conjecture. Hermione was reserved, that was true, but Ginny was her friend. Ginny was the first to know that Hermione was going to the ball with Viktor Krum, and the fact that she ran after her, was at last a little bit suspect for Harry. He tried to talk to Hermione, too, but she barely answered him.

"Hey, Hermione. Happy Christmas! Did you sleep well last night?" he asked her, smiling.

Hermione glared at him. "Merry Christmas to you, too, Harry. I actually did, thanks. And you?"

"I was sleeping well till Ron woke me up for telling me that yesterday-"

"Mind your own business," she snapped, heading for the kitchen for helping Mrs. Weasley.

When Ginny entered the living room her murderous glare didn't restrain Harry from asking her something. "Ginny, Happy Christmas!" he said cheerfully.

"Merry Christmas, Harry," she answered darkly.

"Hermione told you the news? Ron finally-"

"No, Harry. Hermione didn't tell me anything about Ron and her. When she came back to my bedroom I was already sleeping," she snapped.

"Really? But I thought that you came down in the middle of-"

"You thought wrong," she cut him off.

"Okay, sorry," he said defensively. Ginny nodded and headed from the kitchen too, but she halted almost immediately when she spotted Hermione.

Christmas day passed almost pleasantly, except for the fact that Hermione and Ron were too embarrassed for speaking to each other and Ginny simply avoided them both. Harry was trying to bridge the distances between them, but it was a hard task. Whenever he tried to talk to them, they snapped, yelled or ignored him, so he was really pleased when Charlie started to talk about the last shipment of dragon eggs from Hungary, because he captured everybody's attention. For a while, Harry didn't have to do anything but sit there in the living room with his best friends and the family the he loved.

That evening, Ron, Harry and Hermione went to bed quite early. They had decided to leave for Grimmauld Place in the first hours of the morning. Harry took a bit to explain to Ron that first hours of the morning didn't mean around ten. Hermione didn't hear when Ginny came to bed and she didn't even look at her bed before exiting the next morning. So, at about 8 AM, the morning of Boxing Day, the trio was in the living room of the Burrow with some Floo Powder in their hands and some in their pockets.

"There won't be spiders, will there?" asked Ron slightly anxious.

Hermione suppressed a laugh. Ron looked at her and smiled too, instead of snapping something nasty. "No," she said softly. "And if there will be, just remember the spell that you used against Aragog, okay?"

Ron nodded turning pink because of the nice voice that Hermione was using towards him, totally different from her usual bossy tone.

"Shall we go?" asked Harry, yawning. Hermione and Ron looked at him and nodded. Harry entered the fireplace first, followed by Hermione and Ron. One by one they disappeared between green flames.

"Ouch," Harry lamented when Hermione fell on his back.

"Sorry." Hermione sat up and tried helping him on his feet.

"Ouch," repeated Harry, when someone of bigger fell again on his back.

"Sorry, mate!"

Harry grumbled as he rubbed his back and stood up.

"Oh," muttered Hermione.

"What?" Harry asked, looking around for the first time. He didn't need to hear her answer for understanding what she menat. The house looked exactly like they saw it last time except for something like 2 inches of dust on everything.

"There's something wrong," said Hermione.

"What?" asked Ron without understanding.

"Look," Harry said, kneeling on the floor near some small footprint that leaned to the kitchen. "Someone has been here."

"Recently," added Hermione. Hermione pulled out her wand, immediately imitated by Ron and Harry.

"I knew that we shouldn't have come here," whispered Ron.

"What?" exclaimed Harry, looking at him. "You told me that looking in the library was useless, and that we should have come here."

"Well, I really didn't think those things, I wanted to stay on Hermione's side while she told that," said Ron simply.

"Thanks a lot, Ron," said Hermione sarcastically. Ron would have liked to say something for defending himself, but the noise that came from the kitchen stopped every conversation. Harry raised his wand in front of him and walked bravely towards the door of the kitchen, followed by Ron and Hermione. He pushed the door open with his wand and pointed it at the small figure that was trying to open an old pot of marmalade.

"Petrificus Totalus," he screamed while Hermione tried to stop him. "No! Harry, it's Ginny," she said quickly. Ginny fell on the floor with a heavy noise, her body petrified.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Why did you do that? Couldn't you wait? Luckily, you just petrified her," she said, walking towards Ginny.

"What the hell is she doing here?" asked Ron, rolling his eyes.

"Why don't you ask her?" said Hermione, muttering the anti-spell.

Ginny blinked. She looked Hermione for a long moment, unsure on what to say to her. She opted for the most obvious thing.

"Thanks," she whispered, blushing.

"Sure." Hermione offered her a hand and blushed too.

"And thanks Harry," she added sarcastically when she stood.

"Well, you shouldn't be here," snapped Harry.

"And that's a good reason for petrifying me?" asked Ginny.

"I didn't recognize you," said Harry defensively.

"Anyway I hope that you brought some Floo Powder," said Ron sharply, "Because you are going home right now."

"Oh, of course," said Ginny sarcastically.

"I'm not joking."

"Me too. I'm not going home." Ginny stepped in front and faced her brother.

Ron took her for an arm and dragged her back in the living room. "Ron, let go," screamed Ginny, trying to free herself from her brother. "I don't wanna go home."

"You are going home right now," repeated Ron rudely. "Take out the Floo Powder."

"I don't have any," she snapped.

"Don't be clever with me," said Ron who was starting to loose his small amount of patient. "Take out the Powder and go home," he said stressing every word.

Ginny finally managed to free herself from her brother. "No," she said, "There's nothing dangerous here. And I wanna help you."

"You cannot help us, you are too young," said Ron quickly.

Ginny glared at him in such a way that it closed Ron's mouth. "I won't accept any kind of excuse, I'm almost seventeen and I'll do whatever I want."

"Does your mother know that you are here?" asked Harry.

"Of course not, I'm not stupid," she said matter-of-factly.

"And you don't think that she will get angry when she'll find out?"

"Never mind that," answered Ginny.

"Hey, no wait a minute, when did you get here?" asked Harry, suddenly realizing that he missed something.

Ginny smiled. "I got here tonight. When everybody went to bed I took some Floo Powder and came here, then I slept on that sofa," she said pointing to an old sofa near the fireplace. "And I waited for you."

"So you were trying to have a breakfast, when we found you," said Ron who was calming down.

"Yeah, but you interrupted me," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Okay, listen," said Ron seriously, "I think that if you come back right now, mum won't notice that you weren't at home."

"Ron, you're not listening to me," she said frustrated. "I don't mind. I want to stay here and help you."

Ron sighed. "Harry, talk to her."

Harry opened his mouth for saying something, but Hermione spoke before him. "Well, I think that we can do with another couple of eyes., if you ask me. She can stay."

"We didn't ask you," said Harry, trying to stay calm.

Hermione looked at him and raised her eyebrows. "Excuse me?" she asked sharply.

"Well, never mind," he said hastily. "Ginny, you can stay."

"What? But-"

"No buts, Ron. Hermione is right, she can be useful," said Harry.

Ron snorted, while Ginny didn't even try to suppress a satisfied smile. "Okay, where do we start?" she asked Harry.

"Hem, I don't know," he started.

"I think that we should separate, each of us will search in a different room," sad Hermione.

"What should we look for?" asked Ginny.

"Everything that can help us with the quest for the Horcruxes," said Hermione.

"I see. And why do we have to search in Grimmauld Place?" asked Ginny.

"Because Regulus Black knew a lot about them. He destroyed one of them, and since this was his home, there must be something here," explained Hermione.

Ginny nodded.

"Okay, now that everybody knows what to look for, can we separate and start the research?" said Harry impatiently. "I'll look upstairs, I'll start from Sirius' bedroom. Ron, I think that you can look here." Ron nodded. "Hermione, there's a huge library upstairs; I think you'll feel like at home. And Ginny you can look in the other bedrooms."

Everybody nodded in agreement. Then Harry, Hermione and Ginny climbed up the stairs, while Ron headed for the kitchen. Upstairs, Harry entered the first door on the right, while Ginny the second one. The library was the last room of the corridor. Hermione entered it and she really felt at home. It was huge, with so many books that she couldn't have read them all in her entire life. She started to walk next to the bookshelves reading at the small signs hanged under the volumes.

"Transfiguration… Ancient Runes and Other Languages… Plants," she read out aloud, "Potions… Dark Arts." She stopped when she read the last label. "Dark Arts," she repeated. She looked at the books and definitely knew that she was in the right place. They were all huge, with black covers and titles like 'The Dark Arts Through Ages' or 'Guide to the Unforgivable Curses'. She started to search for a 'Guide to the Horcruxes'-like title or something close, but she didn't find anything like that. So, she decided to pick up the first book of the bookshelf and read them all, after all that was what she always did. She picked 'How to Use an Unforgivable Curse Without Being Detected by the Ministry' and sat down on the floor, with the book opened in front of her.

It must have passed hours before Ginny entered the library and started to walk towards Hermione. "Did you find anything?" she asked, causing Hermione to jump for the surprise.

Hermione looked at her. "No. What about you?"

She sat down next to her. "Nope. And I looked into all the bedrooms, but I found nothing."

"What about Harry and Ron?" asked Hermione back to the book.

"Harry is still in Regulus' room and he doesn't look like he wants to come out soon. About Ron," she added, rolling her eyes, "He's downstairs and I don't know what he is doing, not that I care."

Hermione nodded, then she opened her mouth for speaking and only at that very moment she felt that she had held her breath. "How do you feel?" she asked her unexpectedly without looking away from the book.

Ginny looked at her and for a while didn't say anything. She just sat there with a bunch of feelings that buzzed into her head. "What do you mean?" she eventually asked.

Hermione didn't reply, for the first time in her life she didn't know what to answer.

"I don't think that you would like to know how I really feel," said Ginny bitterly.

Hermione close the book and finally looked at her. "Why?"

"Because I'm feeling bad."

"Ginny, I-"

"There's no need to say anything, Hermione. I felt my heart breaking last night," said Ginny, her face coloured.

Hermione recalled all her courage for speaking. "Ginny, you know that we-"

"I know," she interrupted her again, "It's not my fault if I feel this way. It's not my fault if when I saw you kissing my brother I felt a piercing pain going through my heart. It's not my fault if I can't stop thinking of you," she said with a shaking voice.

Hermione stared at her with her mouth half opened. She would have wanted to tell her that it was Ron that kissed her and while he did it she was thinking of her. But she was afraid that if she said that, it would have come true.

"Tell me that you don't feel this way towards me and I'll stop it here," said Ginny firmly. "Tell me that you are in love with Ron and I won't bother you anymore."

Hermione felt the urge to stand up and run away.

"Tell me that if I kissed you right now, you wouldn't feel anything," said Ginny, coming nearer to her and placing her hand on Hermione's who didn't move backwards.

"Tell me that-"

"I don't know," Hermione almost screamed. "I don't know Ginny." She stood up and looked at Ginny with her face red. "I'm so confused! I'm feeling so many ways towards you and can't understand what I want."

Ginny looked at her with her hands on her mouth.

"I didn't kiss Ron, at least not at the beginning. He kissed me," said Hermione seriously. "And I liked it, but there was a part of me that couldn't help thinking of you. And I'm afraid of thinking about it, I'm afraid about what I feel."

Ginny sat up too and took Hermione's face between her hands. "I know," she whispered, "I know. I'm afraid too and I'm confused as much as you are."

A tear fell down from Hermione's cheek. "What do we do?" she asked softly. "I think that your plan didn't succeed at all, Ginny. Staying at the Burrow, close to both you and Ron, didn't help me at all, it just made me more confused."

Ginny nodded. "Me too."

"Ginny, even if I loved you, we are not supposed to be together."

"We can be together, if we want," whispered Ginny.

Hermione shook her head and sniffled. "No."

"No, you don't want or no, we can't be?" she asked, looking intently into her eyes.

"I don't know," said Hermione, lowering her eyes. Ginny took her chin and made her look at her again, Hermione smiled. Then, slowly, Ginny came closer to her, she closed her eyes and brushed Hermione's lips with her own. This time, Hermione closed her eyes too.

"How do you feel?" she whispered before pressing her lips on hers.

Hermione's heart fastened while she returned the kiss, Ginny placed a hand on her back and rubbed it gently, Hermione hugged her, she had butterflies in her stomach while she felt her body against hers. She caressed her flawless skin, she was soft and warm. She was kissing her and was thinking about her, only about her.

After what seemed ages to Hermione, Ginny slowly let her go. She took away her head from Hermione's and kissed her softly lots of times on her lips and cheeks. Hermione kept her eyes shut, and breathed deeply as a small smile spread across her face.

"How do you feel?" asked Ginny, snapping her out of her thoughts.

She opened her eyes and saw that Ginny was staring at her, waiting for her answer. She didn't want to lie to her, but she didn't want to say that she enjoyed it either, she didn't feel like saying anything at that very moment.

"Hermione! Ginny! Ron!" Hermione mentally thanked Harry a million times for calling them at that very moment. She turned her face towards the door and started to walk away.

"Hermione," Ginny called her weakly, stretching a hand for touching her.

"Harry is calling us, Ginny. Maybe he found something of important," she said without even looking back at her. Ginny followed her out of the library.

"Did you two find anything?" asked Ron in the corridor.

"No," said Ginny curtly while Hermione shook her head. They pushed open the door of Regulus' bedroom and entered it.

Harry was sitting on the floor between a small mountain of pieces of parchment, letters and books. "Look," said Harry, showing the piece of parchment that he had in his hands. "I found something."

They rounded him and looked at the parchment which was written with a tiny writing, barely legible. "Look here," said Harry, pointing at a small word. They all looked at it.

"Horgor?" asked Ron with his nose stuck in the parchment.

"Horcrux," Ginny corrected him.

"Looks like Hermione was right," said Harry slowly. "We found something here."

"Yeah, but it's almost illegible," pointed out Ginny.

"Wait," said Hermione, pulling out her wand and taking the parchment into her hands. "Engorgio." The parchment enlarged and with it also the words.

"Oh, that's better," she said satisfied.

"What does it said?" asked Harry, sitting up and hurrying at her side.

"It's a letter," stated Hermione. "Look. 'Dear Regulus, the Dark Lord already knows what you did,'" she started to read, "'And he has already sent someone on your track. You have to hide, never mind the other Horcruxes, just run for you life." Hermione took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"Why did you stop reading?" asked Ron.

"It's touching," answered Ginny.

"Touching? Regulus Black was a Death Eater," pointed out Harry.

"Ex-Death Eater," Hermione corrected him. "And as you can see there was someone that helped him and cared for his life." She glanced through the letter for the signature, but she didn't find anything.

"Will you go on reading?" asked Harry impatiently.

Hermione nodded and proceed with the letter, after about a dozen of lines she stopped again, this time her eyes widened and everybody noticed that her hands started to shake.

"Hermione?" asked Ron softly.

She looked at him. "We found it," she said.

"What?"

"The final piece." She turned the parchment towards them. "There's a list of all Voldemort's Horcruxes."

Harry, Ron and Ginny came closer to the parchment and mentally read the list. There was the diary, the ring of Salazar Slytherin and all the other objects with their precise locations.

"That's it," said Harry, smiling. "That's it," he repeated and hugging Ginny. "Voldemort has his days counted."

"He won't die if you'll destroy all his Horcruxes, Harry," Hermione pointed out.

"I know Hermione, but at least next time that I'll kill him, he won't come back to life," said Harry matter-of-factly.

"Well, you are right," sighed Hermione.

Their serious discourse was interrupted by Ron's stomach which rumbled noisily. "Sorry," he said, checking his watch. "Well, I think that if we found all the things that we had to find, we can go. Lunch will be almost ready at home," he said.

"Okay," answered Harry.

"Oh, Ginny, if you don't have any Floo Powder with you, you should stay here, I'll come back and pick you after lunch," said Ron, smirking while they climbed down the stairs.

"Actually Ron, I have some Floo Powder with me," she said, smirking back. "Do you really think that I'm that stupid?" she asked sharply.

Ron flushed red.

"You go first, Ginny," said Harry, smiling.

"Why?" she asked suspiciously.

"Girls first," answered Harry simply.

Ginny raised her eyebrows, but she moved towards the fireplace and glancing at Hermione she let the Floo Powder fall and said "The Burrow" out aloud. After she disappeared between the green flames, Harry turned towards Ron and Hermione.

"Tonight we have to talk," he said simply.

Ron and Hermione nodded.

"Midnight in Ron's bedroom, okay, Hermione?" he asked her.

"Okay."

"Don't tell Ginny," added Ron.

"Sure," she answered. "Harry, what do we have to talk about?"

Harry took a deep breath. "I want to leave as soon as possible. Now that we have the list I want to finish what Dumbledore has started. I think I'll leave tomorrow morning."

"You won't leave alone, Ron and I will come with you," said Hermione seriously.

"I don't ask you to-"

"No, you don't ask us. We are coming because we want to," said Ron, cutting him off.

Harry smiled. "Thanks," he said.

"You are welcome, mate."

"Hermione you go," said Harry, nodding towards the fireplace.

Hermione nodded and while her figure was swallowed by green flames all her thoughts were for Ginny, she was sure that she would have missed her, but at the same time she was so happy to have some time for thinking far away from her.


	6. The Letter

Disclaimer: I do nor own Harry Potter.

A/N: Oh well, I'm a little bit afraid about posting this last chapter. Because it's really strange, so I don't know if you'll like it. Anyway, I wanted to finish the story exactly at this point, because the search for the Horcruxes is another story, that has nothing to do with Ginny and Hermione. Since this one is the last chapter, I wanted to thank all the people that reviewed this story and all the people that have this fan-fiction in their favourite and alerts lists. Thanks also to all the people that read it. I'm sorry, but there will be no sequel to this story. Just one more thing that I always say: if you feel like leaving a review, and it's about year 3000 and the aliens have invaded the Earth or Voldy has won the Battle against Harry Potter, leave it anyway, I swear that I'll find the way to read it! And I'll also reply to them (if you want me to!). Well, I really, really, really hope that you'll like this chapter, but I'm not so sure. Lol!

To losckofcurls: Thanks for beta-reading this story so quickly.

**The Letter**

Ginny woke up with a couple of marked rings around her eyes. She waited for Hermione to come to bed until almost two in the morning the night before, but she didn't show up and she fell asleep before seeing her. Ginny glanced at Hermione's side of the bedroom, it was intact, as if she had either already fixed it up or hadn't come to bed at all. She jumped down the bed and walked slowly towards the bathroom, after a quick shower she came back to her bedroom and wore the first things that she found, a t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

Without a further glance at the bedroom, she went downstairs for breakfast. Halfway through the stairs, she heard some voices coming from the kitchen, and someone was crying, too. She entered the kitchen on tiptoes and looked at the people that were sitting there. Her mum was sobbing over a piece of parchment, while her father was patting her nicely on her back. Fred, George and Charlie sat down at the table with serious expressions.

"Mum?" said Ginny uncertainly. "Is everything alright?"

Mrs. Weasley raised her head from the parchment and looked at her daughter with tears in her eyes. "Oh, Ginny. My dear, dear Ginny," she said, sitting up and hugging her daughter.

Ginny looked at her father puzzled. "What happened?"

Mr. Weasley shook his head. "Ron, Harry and Hermione left last night."

Ginny felt a sense of unreality going through her body. "Left?" she asked without understanding.

Mr. Weasley nodded. "They left without telling anybody. They just wrote a note." He nodded towards the parchment.

"Where did they go?" asked Ginny.

"Read the note," said George leading it to her. She picked and started to read it mentally.

_Dear mum and dad,_

_We have found something yesterday at Grimmauld Place, and now we know where to start for the research of the Horcruxes. Harry is really determinate to find and destroy each of them, before finding You-Know-Who and Hermione and I can't let him go alone. We'll send you our news with Hedwig and Pig._

_Love, Ron_

"They left without me," said Ginny putting the parchment on the table.

Mrs. Weasley glared at her. "They did at least one thing right. I would have never let you go with them, and luckily you still have to do what I say, since you are not an adult yet," she said firmly.

Ginny looked at her mother, there was no need on answering back to her, it was stupid and useless. They have gone without her and her mother was right.

"Didn't they leave anything for me?" she asked hopefully.

"No," said George, "Not even Harry."

"Hermione?"

"Have you looked into your bedroom?" her mother asked her distractedly.

She remembered that she hadn't even glanced at Hermione's bed before she exited the room. "No, I'll go and check," she said disappearing out of the kitchen and forgetting about the breakfast. She climbed the stairs two at a time and rushed into her bedroom, where she spotted almost immediately an envelope on Hermione's bed. She stepped slowly towards it and picked it up. She recognized the firm writing of Hermione while she read her name. She opened it with shaking hands, and inside was a piece of parchment covered in every inch of words. She sat down and started to read the letter.

_Dear Ginny,_

_It's about three in the morning and we are filling our backpacks with things that Harry and Ron think that will be useful to us, including a little supply of Chocolate Frogs. I'm watching outside of the window in Ron's bedroom and I'm surprised to see how bright the stars are tonight. It's almost like they are there just for us, for enlightening our path. _

_Ron has just asked me what I'm writing. I answered that it's a letter for you, he will think that it's the letter of a friend. He is almost right, not completely, though. He has forbidden me to tell you where we are going, there was no need in doing something like that, this letter is a totally different thing. We are going to leave in a couple of hours, as soon as Harry and Ron finish packing their things. I'm already done with min., I was really quiet. Did you hear me? I don't think so, you didn't even move in your bed. _

_I watched you sleep for a very long moment, like I wasn't able to tear away my eyes from your face, from your smooth skin, from your small sleeping body. If Harry didn't bring me back to reality I would have stayed there forever, bent on your bed listening to you breathe. Ron asked me again who I'm writing to. He said that it's a very long letter for a friend; I think he's afraid that this could be for Viktor. If he seriously thinks that, I'm not going to tell him otherwise. I prefer him to believe this than to imagine what I'm writing to you. You know, I'm afraid. Afraid of what we are going to do, afraid of how Harry is feeling for this "mission" (which he considered his own mission, his personal crusade against Voldemort), afraid to leave you. You have to promise me that you won't do anything stupid or dangerous and above all that you won't come look for us. _

_Now that I'm feeling all these new sentiments towards you, I know why Harry and Ron were so worried about you. It's so pleasant to know that you are safe and warm in your house or at Hogwarts, and that you won't find yourself face to face with your worst fears, because I care for you. I really do. Harry and Ron care for you, too, but not in the way that I do, I'm sure. Harry asked me if I have any ideas about what to write to your mother, I told him that Ron should have written something. He is her son after all. I'm pretty sure that your mum is going to hate us, me and Harry, because we have brought Ron away with us. No. Maybe she is going to hate me and only me, because she loves Harry as if he was her own child. I'm feeling strange, even while I'm simply writing a letter, my heart is beating furiously against my chest and my head is buzzing; like you were here and not in the bedroom under this. If I close my eyes you are the only one that I see. _

_Yesterday you asked me what I felt while you kissed me, while you pressed your lips against mine and you caressed my back with your hands, while I breathed your smell and brushed your skin. The time stopped and the world around us disappeared. For me, you were the only important thing, my whole world, all I wanted, all I needed. What I felt at that very moment was love. Yes, Ginny, love. Not friendship or a simply crush; it was love, deep love. And it was all for you. No one, not even Ron or Viktor made me feel that way before. _

_I guess that the butterflies that are still flying in my stomach since yesterday are a collateral effect, I like it, though. Ron has just told me that they are ready. They made me read the letter for your mother and I think it's okay. They didn't spend too much time on it, though. Not as much as I'm doing for yours. We are leaving in a few minutes, but I asked them for some more time for finishing this poem (as they call it) to you. _

_You know that I could also not come back from this thing, don't you? But before I go I want to share my love with you. Please, love, close your eyes and lie down on your bed; I'll lie down next to you, your smile will light up the night and mine will be your northern star. I'll caress your tender hair with my hands and your laugh will be like the summer rain, the kiss that we'll share will be like nothing else you have ever had, it'll have the taste of chocolate and the smell of flowers. Then, we'll break apart and with my tongue I'll trace the outline of your face, slowly I'll come down your neck. I'll give you little kisses that will make you smile. With my hands I'll start to unbutton your nightdress, while you do the same with mine. Your skin will be smooth and warm as my lips passes on it. I'll smile when our nightwear will fall down and we'll pull them off the bottom of the bed. _

_I'll climb your naked body and arch my back, while your hands will run from my shoulders to my waist. Our mouths will meet again and this time it will be something of intense and deep, more so than before. When I move away, I'll look at you and your face will flush, your breath will be faster, your breasts will go up and down more quickly than before. Our hearts will start to beat at the same time as we'll both reach our climax. Now I'll lie down next to you again and let our breath come back to normality while I'll watch you fall asleep. I love you, Ginny and I'll always will. When I'll be back, if I'll be back, I want to be with you, forever. I want to spend all my life with you. No matter what the other people will think. If you'll wait for me it won't be vain. _

_I'll be there for you. _

_Love Always,_

_Hermione._

Ginny sat down on her bed and tightened the letter to her heart, she closed her eyes and a tear fell down her cheek. She smiled and sniffled at the same time, without being able to understand if what she felt was happiness or misery.

- The End -


End file.
